Romeo Cascarino: Pygmalion; Portrait of Galatea; Prospice; The Acadian Land; Blades of Grass

wonderful

Cascarino's "Blades of grass" is a masterpiece of 20th century music.The cd is worth it just for that one work. Overall the works on this cd are well composed, melodic, tonal, well organized and beautifully orchestrated.

May 30, 2007

One of the best of 2007

I totally agree with the two previous reviews (although I think Mr. Morrison misses the beauty of these pieces) - they are slow, "serene", but this is beautiful music beautifully played. Hats-off to Fanfare Magazine that convinced me to purchase a CD by a composer I was not familiar with, Naxos for its continuing commitment to recording every composition ever written, and to Ms. Falletta and her fine orchestra for making this wonderful music available to the audience that Mr. Cascarino never had. May 7, 2007

Gems from a Undiscovered American Composer

Twentieth century classical music in the tradition of Ravel, Faure, Copland Delius, Britten and RV Williams. Lush and complex, rich and melodic , somber and uplifting.

Cascarino's works may one day be receiving more attention and scheduled on more programs as an outstanding example of American 20th century polyphony. January 12, 2007

Romantic American Orchestral Music in the Barber/Copland Vein

Romeo Cascarino (1922-2002) was a basically self-taught Philadelphian who labored in relative obscurity. Of the six works recorded here five are first recordings. And some of the music had never been played before. Cascarino worked for many years as a respected teacher of harmony and composition at the now-defunct Combs College of Music in Philadelphia. His compositional style is completely tonal and sometimes comes across as a blend of the styles of Barber and Copland. This CD contains his six works, with few exceptions all dreamily serene.

'Pygmalion' (1956) recounts the Greek myth of the sculptor Pygmalion and his infatuation with his own marble creation, the beautiful Galatea. It was intended as a ballet and has been staged only once, apparently, in Philadelphia in 1959. A companion piece 'Portrait of Galatea' (1945) preceded the ballet by four years. This recording is from the first performance ever of that work and of its predecessor 'Prospice' (1945) which was written just after Cascarino returned from service in World War II. 'Prospice' is based on the Browning poem of that name, which opens:

"Fear death?--to feel the fog in my throat,
The mist in my face,
When the snows begin, and the blasts denote
I am nearing the place,
The power of the night, the press of the storm,
The post of the foe ... "

Its first measures have harmonies redolent of the Copland scores of the previous decade.

'Blades of Grass' (1945) is a seven-minute mini-concerto for English horn, harp and strings. It was inspired by Carl Sandberg's 'Grass' which is 'a meditation about men dying in battle.' The plangent lines given the English horn soloist are melancholy in the extreme and are played here beautifully by Geoffrey Deemer, principal in the Philadelphia Chamber Players. (A note about the orchestra used on this recording. The Philadelphia Philharmonic is an ad hoc group whose core is the Philadelphia Chamber Players; its roster is extended by use of some of the many fine free-lance musicians in the Philadelphia area. They sound marvelous.)

'Meditation and Elegy' (2000) is an orchestration for strings of two piano pieces Cascarino wrote in his teens. Both pieces are slow and meditative, with lush string sonorities and often modal melodies. 'The Acadian Land' (1959-60) was premiered in a shortened version by the then New Orleans Philharmonic. It was inspired by Longfellow's 'Evangeline' and of course had particular interest for the Louisianans as their Cajun culture is based on the Acadian culture of Nova Scotia. 'The Acadian Land' is contemplative and melancholy.

Most of the music here is fairly slow. The main up-tempo bits are in 'Prospice.' Admittedly the texture and harmonic language of these works are lush and romantic, but more than 75 minutes of ruminative music might be a bit much for one sitting. Still, the playing of the Philadelphia Philharmonic under JoAnn Falletta is gorgeous and the music qua music engaging. Most will, I suspect, find themselves becoming tranquilly contemplative on listening to these works.

Scott Morrison October 7, 2006

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